The Avengers and my bestie

I finally checked out the Avengers movie. Co-workers have been talking about it for days and made me feel like I'd be missing this huge cultural event if I didn't watch. So I dragged my cousin/best friend Rose away from her gorgeous 10-week old daughter Athena to watch the movie with me.

 I know, I'm a heartless godmother for doing that, but I just missed catching up with her the past few months. We hardly saw each other since I was busy with work and traveling (Singapore, Malaysia, CamSur, Albay. Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte within a month, crazy!) and she was busy lactating. ;)

This day was just a relief for both of us, ranting and raving about our situations. Sharing her joy at being a new mom, while I shared my disgust and disappointment at someone who wouldn't pay back a loan. It's just like old times. I'm thankful for the four hours we got to share a good conversation over pizza , pasta and a good movie.

The Avengers is a very good action film, with all the explosions, special effects and hot guys we've come to expect from summer blockbusters. Oh Captain America, marry me! But my absolute favorite is Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, she totally kicked butt. It's also very funny in parts--I loved the various interactions between the superheroes--even Loki rocked it.

Now I know why it's breaking box office records in the Philippines. It currently has the record for biggest opening and is on track to be the biggest grossing movie ever in the country. It's so good, it made me forget for a bit that friend who owes me money, who's currently ignoring my calls and texts. Thanks, The Avengers and Joss Whedon for that!

Read more...

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and drooling...

Team Edward... err... Jacob!

I finally watched The Twilight Saga: Eclipse last weekend when I got together with my cousin and her girls. I haven't paid much attention to the brouhaha about the Twilight series though I've read all of the books... I liked it well enough, I just thought Bella could have been more assertive and kick-ass, but whatever.

Pia, En and Marivic

This movie was action-packed and quite funny in places, so I was a happy camper. And I have to admit, that Jacob (Taylor Lautner) boy's abs was unreal! Talk about drool-worthy... looking at him makes you wonder what's wrong with Bella picking Edward over him. :)

move over, Bella...

I couldn't help but tease (and pinch!) En because she's absolutely on "Team Jacob" and man, he was almost always shirtless the whole movie. There were even girls who chose to sit on the theater aisles to get a better look at his undeniable hotness. Gosh, the squealing from the girls had my ears ringing... but it was really fun watching the Twihards thoroughly enjoy themselves.

Read more...

Toy Story 3 was amazing!

utter perfection...

If you haven't watched Toy Story 3 yet, I suggest you get off your butt right now, go to the nearest mall and watch it. It was such an amazing treat to see the last installment of the computer-animated feature that started it all.

The first Toy Story made me a Pixar fangirl--that if there's a Pixar movie opening in cinemas, I'm one of the first in line to watch. And they have not disappointed me once... they know how to tell great stories (Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Up). Those Pixar guys are geniuses.

Watching Toy Story 3 just made me reconnect with Woody, Buzz, Jessie and Co. in a huge way. I laughed my head off, felt horror when they were in danger, and had to try really hard not to bawl at the end. Boy, I never knew saying goodbye to characters you cared about when you were young, could be so tough.

I've never been a crybaby to begin with, but the lump in my throat got so huge, it was embarrassing. Only the presence of my cousin Rose yelling at the screen when she thought Woody and the gang were goners, made me feel better about my uncharacteristic show of emotion. I realized I'm not alone in caring about these animated pieces of plastic (I noticed the crowd were yelling and emoting right along with us too).

So there we were--adults so incredibly sucked in by Pixar's technical and story-telling wizardry--trying to be strong and brave, LOL. It was a fitting send-off, with laughter and sadness in equal measure. Couldn't have wished for a better ending. Now, go watch it to see for yourself.

Read more...

New Twilight Saga Eclipse trailer

A new trailer for Eclipse has been released. It looks really good (the werewolves still look fake, though). I've read all the Twilight books... and I'm currently listening to the audio books that my Twihard  friend Wacks lent me--it's making me appreciate the series more. I still think the Harry Potter  books are better but I can see now why there are Twihards like Wacks.

Read more...

Sandra Bullock Wins Best (and Worst) Actress

 

"Did I really earn this, or did I just wear you all down?" Sandra Bullock joked when she won the Academy Awards for Best Actress for her role in the "The Blind Side". I loved both the book and the movie, so I'm happy that Sandra won... I've always liked her--I think she has great comedic timing. But most people never really thought of her as Oscar material before this, and it looks like she's honest enough to admit that, which is cool.



She made some kind of record too, because she also won the "Worst Actress" award for "All About Steve" at the Razzies. In typical Sandra Bullock fashion, she gamely accepted the award with good humor. She also starred in the romantic comedy hit "The Proposal" last year, so Razzie or not, she has reason to be magnanimous.

 

Going back to the Oscars, is it just me or was it the most boring Academy Awards telecast ever? I didn't like the overwrought presentation this year... too many boring speeches and I didn't get the dance numbers either. Admittedly, I didn't catch all of it, just the major awards during my lunch break... so it might not be as boring as I thought it was.

Update: Leigh Anne Tuohy on the Oscar win:

Read more...

The Blind Side movie is awesome!

I finally watched The Blind Side last weekend and it's better than I thought it would be. I still think literary works lose some of its substance when adapted for the screen--but bookworm that I am, it's not surprising I feel that way.  It's pretty much a faithful adaptation of the book with a few exceptions--Michael Oher and his adoptive sister Collins Tuohy were actually in the same class at Briarcrest Christian School and started college together at Ole Miss-- in the movie Michael went to college ahead of her. The fight with the neighborhood thug didn't happen... it was actually an Ole Miss football teammate named Antonio Turner who Michael smacked around after Turner said crude things about his adoptive mom and sister.

This movie is heart-warming without being too sappy. Sandra Bullock did a great job playing the no-nonsense Leigh Anne Tuohy and she didn't even have to shed one tear here to be effective. She deserves all the accolades she has received for her performance in this movie. Quinton Aaron also did well, I think he captured the hulking, quiet, gentle young man that was Michael Oher as he was described in the book. I was surprised at how good an actor Tim McGraw is as Sean Tuohy. Jae Head as the tough negotiator kid SJ is really cute and provided a lot of laughs too.

I saw this movie with my friends Rose, Aida and Sharon (pictured above) and we all gave it two thumbs up. It's also wonderful that fellow moviegoers stayed until the credits have rolled to look at the video and pictures of the real Michael Oher being drafted in the NFL with his family and tutor by his side. I'm gratified that the adaptation of one of my favorite books turned out this well and people have flocked to the cinemas to see this inspiring story of a young man whose life was changed by the kindness of strangers who became the family he's never had.

Read more...

The Blind Side is nominated for a Best Picture Oscar!

I'm so happy to hear that The Blind Side has been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Sandra Bullock also scored a Best Actress nod... A well deserved recognition for a movie with a positive message.

I'm trying out this Blog Writer application I downloaded from the Apple store using my iPod touch. I'm curious how this would turn out--will edit this once I get home from work (yes I'm still at work, shhh!).

Read more...

Mariah Carey's Tipsy Acceptance Speech

Next time, get drunk after you've won, Mariah

This is embarrassing and funny at the same time. Mariah Carey gave a drunken, rambling, loopy acceptance speech when she won at the Palm Springs International Film Festival for Best Breakthrough Performance for her role in the movie "Precious".

Maybe Mariah did not expect to win, hence the boozing before the awards were given out. Whatever the reason, at least now we know Mariah Carey is a happy drunk. Let's hope she wins more awards.



***Pic from Getty Images

Read more...

The Blind Side breaks box office record

This is wonderful news. It is really great that The Blind Side has become the first film with a female lead to make over $200 million at the North American box office.

Sandra Bullock's inspirational football movie has made over $208 million since its release in the U.S. and Canada. So this means Bullock beat out A-list stars Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon and Angelina Jolie for the distinction.

I'm not really a film buff but when a good book I have read gets made into a movie... I get caught up in the excitement. And this movie getting positive audience feedback adds to my anticipation. I can't wait for The Blind Side to open here.

Found videos from ABC's show 20/20 and CBN with the real Michael Oher and the Tuohy family:

Update: Sandra Bullock just won the award for outstanding performance by an actress in a dramatic motion picture at the Golden Globes.

Update 2: Opening in theaters in the Philippines January 27

Update 3:   The Blind Side is now the all-time number 1 sports movie in the US earning $255,119,553 so far.
                 a  list of its box office rankings here.

*** also 'The Blind Side' Tops Weekly BLOCKBUSTER(R) Hit List of 'Top 10 Renting DVDs' 

Read more...

The Blind Side movie reviews are coming in!

I've written in a previous post how much I loved the book The Blindside: Evolution of a Game and how apprehensive I was that the movie based on it might not be any good. It's starting to look like my fear was unfounded at least in early reviews. From trade magazine Variety:

After swinging for the fences and scoring a sleeper success with "The Rookie" (2002), writer-director John Lee Hancock takes the field with "The Blind Side," another uplifting and entertaining feel-good, fact-based sports drama. The combo of top-billed Sandra Bullock's marquee allure and a true-life story with well-nigh irresistible emotional appeal probably would be enough to fill megaplex stadiums at any time of the year. But this Nov. 20 Warners release is particularly well positioned to be a four-quadrant hit as the consensus choice of family auds during the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Critics though seem to have a problem with the ' too good to be true' aspects of the story. I guess it's normal for people to be cynical, to doubt other people's motivations for doing good. Some even say that this movie is racist because it depicts a white family saving a black young man. I mean what's wrong with these people? The life of Michael Oher speaks for itself really, from a homeless kid to millionaire football player in just a few years is an amazing achievement. I hope everyone could just enjoy the movie without looking for hidden meanings in it. For me as long as it doesn't mess too much with the facts in the book - I'm good.

Here's a nice article by World magazine about Michael Oher and the Tuohy family who adopted him.

Update: Opening in theaters in the Philippines January 27, 2010

Read more...

The Blind Side: Michael Oher's story gets the Hollywood treatment

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis is the first sports book I've ever read. It tells the story of Michael Oher an essentially homeless kid from a Memphis ghetto. He came to the attention of the Tuohy family who later on adopted and helped him get into university to play football. It's a very inspiring story about how a life can change with the help of good hearted people. The book is beautifully written and I cheered when Oher got drafted by the Baltimore Ravens. He's currently playing very well for them as an offensive tackle. Now they've made a movie based on the book and I hope they don't mess too much with the story and make it too Hollywood.


I've always hated it when a book I loved gets mangled beyond recognition on the screen. It ruins it for everybody in my opinion. The trailer looks good though so here's hoping it gives the book justice.

Update: The Blind side has been certified 'fresh' by critics at Rotten Tomatoes and it claimed the number 1 spot at the US box office overtaking 'New Moon' on its third week of release. So excited for this movie to get to the Philippines!


Update 2: Opening in theaters in the Philippines January 27, 2010

Read more...